Long hair is known for its versatility, always allowing for a multitude of styles from simple to elaborate. Short hair, on the other hand, often gets a bad reputation for being boring, ordinary, and restrictive. Don’t let those silly words get in your way! As a major supporter of short hair, I have made it my mission to find styles to keep things interesting. Here are five styles for chin-length and pixie-length hair to keep you excited through a full week of classes:
Braids: Just because your hair is short doesn’t mean you can’t rock a braid. If you have chin-length hair, taking your side part to a whole new level is a piece of cake. Whether you choose an extreme milk-maid braid by taking your side part below the ears, or a more practical braid starting at the edge of your eyebrow (moving across the forehead, around to the nape of the neck, or both going in opposite directions), separate the hair you’d like to include in the braid from the rest of your hair after drying and start your French braid. Secure your braids with bobby pins and style the rest of your hair however you’d prefer. If you’re bad at braiding, find an old American Girl Doll and practice on her! Pixies can also fake the style with braided headbands by doing a quick internet search for vendors.
Slicked: Slicked back, slicked to the side, or slicked up, bobs and pixies are the perfect hairdos for this trend. My favorite way to style this is by blow-drying my half-bob-half-pixie straight up and back using a volumizing spray and a medium round brush. Once I’ve given myself a sort of windblown helmet, I take a small amount of waxy pomade and slick the sides straight back, using more as needed. After securing the sides with bobby pins, I follow up by either hair spraying the top ‘as-is’, curling and then finger-combing with pomade for a nighttime-rocker look, or just mussing with wax for a careless image. If you want to change this one up, braid the sides tightly instead, a la Jenny Garth. Please keep in mind that I will be so disappointed if you slide the bobby pins in with the bumpy side out on this one. No, it’s not cute. It’s distracting.
60’s Mod: This is easily my favorite for pixies. Whether you have a long bang or baby bangs, blow the back of your hair out with a small round brush, securing each section with a small Velcro roller for long-lasting volume, not worrying about the hair reaching more than halfway over the roller if that happens. Use your fingers to dry the sides and the front, and use a round brush to style the bangs as you find necessary. Let the rollers cool down while you do your makeup or get dressed, and as you take them out, lightly spritz each section of hair with a medium-hold hairspray. Brush out the hair so the sections come together and see your Twiggy-esque look come to life by spraying your bangs into the perfect shape. You’re welcome.
Color Crazy: Short hair is fun to make funky, so why not add temporary color once in a while for an extra dash of daring? There are several products that you can use to change up your color scheme and, depending on the color you chose and the color of your hair, will work on just about anyone. Colorbug and Hot Huez both have temporary chalk dyes in lots of shades, and can be applied easily by rubbing strands of hair along an easy-to-hold chalky surface. Be sure to follow with hairspray as the chalk will get on your clothes and pillows in your don’t secure it to your hair. Eufora also offers colored sprays that can be applied by holding a sheet of foil under strands of hair (to prevent the spray getting on anything else) and combing out the strands for a natural look afterward. The benefit of the spray is that you don’t need to follow with hairspray and its vibrancy will last until you shampoo your hair.
Messy: Messy sounds easy, but don’t be fooled. This look needs to be carefully manipulated so that you look carefree and chic rather than like you slept through your alarm and didn’t shower. Depending on your hair type, let your hair gather some dirt and grease by holding off on the wash just long enough for your hair to hold shape, but not so long that it shines in the dark of night. If you have trouble with this due to fine hair, a dry shampoo can add some texture to your roots while keeping your hair from getting nasty. Using a half-inch barrel curling iron for pixies and a one-inch curling iron for bobs (or a wand for bobs), hit as many small sections as possible and don’t worry about curling inward or outward but instead move randomly across the head. Break up the curls with your fingers so that they aren’t tight, and add bobby pins and teased roots for style at your discretion. Use shine spray for effect and finish with hairspray. Add some wide-rimmed glasses and a bright red lip and you’re about as casual-chic as you can get.
If you want to keep things fresh without so much product, headbands, headscarves, and trendy hats or ear warmers are great ways to spice up your style. If you find yourself bored with your look, but loving the length of your hair, try coloring your hair or adding highlights to freshen it up. If you have an asymmetrical cut, don’t feel like you are out of luck! I presently have an asymmetrical pixie-short-bob combo, and have had a dramatic pixie-mid-length-hair paradox, but I was able to do all of these styles with the use of pins, hairspray, and patience. Have fun, ladies!